Etymologies

patri- + -istic (Wiktionary)

Examples

Though the term patristic belongs to the whole period here under consideration, as contrasted with the term scholastic applied to the Middle Ages, it may nevertheless be restricted to the period we are now describing.

Fourth, the idea of patristic authority (auctoritas patrum or auctoritas sanctorum) juxtaposed the notion of authorization (the inspiration of the Fathers by Holy Scripture), the notion of persuasion apart from or prior to rational demonstration, the notion of personal expertise in the juristic formulation of a canonical faith, and the anthropological reverence for the elders (auctoritas maiorum as the respect due the fathers of a Christian doctrinal tradition).

Besides that, for the skeptical modern reader, or even for most Christians, it is more important to outline what assumptions underlie modern thought and how J.P. Deuce has answered, used, or rejected those assumptions, rather than to show how he has used patristic sources, which the skeptical modern reader, and even some Christians, won't care much about.

In an earlier publication, dedicated to the patristic era [1], we attempted to gather together the essential elements of the most ancient Christian tradition about the Church's teaching on the Mother of the-Lord, We drew these elements from the writings of the Church Fathers and other Christian authors who lived in their time.